About

The goal of this site is to provide pragmatic information for better investing.

Evidence is the first thing that sets ClearOnMoney apart. I am a scientist by training, and do far more checking into the facts than is done on most investing sites. At the same time, I try to always provide short summaries, and to make it easy to skip details you may not have time for.

The second main thing that sets this site apart is the structure. In addition to the (sometimes ephemeral) blog postings in Commentary and Investment, there is a more static Reference section with background information, links to blog posts, and concise summaries on conditions in various areas, all grouped by topic. (See more on site structure below).

Your ideas are always welcome on how the site can be more useful (Contact).

The site has three parts with different functions.

The Commentary section

• contains information important for current investing decisions
• is primarily about recent news on the state of the world – values of key economic indicators and business news – or about background information that is being incorporated into the site for the first time

The Reference section

• contains concise, up-to-date summaries of many different aspects of the markets
• is about background and current situations, rather than news
• is organized in a network of related topics

The Investment section

• discusses concrete investment choices, timing, and practicalities of execution
• gives, in particular, my personal choices
• requires, for access to recent posts, registration (see below)

Access to the Investment section is reserved for registered users. Registration is currently free: Just send an e-mail to the contact address below.

You may use a limited number of the graphs that were generated by ClearOnMoney.com, subject to the following conditions:

• At most 10 of the graphs you use on any websites to which you contribute can also be current graphs on ClearOnMoney.com. There is no limitation on the number of out-of-date graphs used.
• Any page on which you display a graph from ClearOnMoney.com must mention the source and provide a link to the page where you found the graph.
• You must also obtain the permission of the data provider, if the underlying data are not already in the public domain.
• You read, understand, and agree to the disclaimer below.

I have a PhD in mathematics and worked first in academia and then as a manager of scientific data groups in pharmaceutical companies. In that part of my life the best work I did was in helping to found GenBank (the national gene database) and then to move it towards a community model, with data entered directly by the scientists.

My first main goal with ClearOnMoney is better presentation of information on the big trends. For someone with time to look into the details, the housing bubble was very clear in 2005 and 2006, and the danger of a stock market crash was very clear in the summer of 2007; yet neither of these was necessarily clear to a busy professional who only had time to skim the newspapers. As someone who has studied information and communication for many years, I hope to present the big trends in a way that others can follow with a small time commitment.

My second main goal is to relate the trends directly to investment decisions. Since everyone's situation is different, this cannot take the form of financial advice (see disclaimer below). However concrete illustrations can and will be given, with fair and objective presentation of evidence on both sides of any question.

Please do offer corrections, criticisms, and requests by email using jim [at] clearonmoney [dot] com.

The content on this site is provided as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. All site content, including advertisements, shall not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The ideas expressed on this site are solely the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of sponsors or firms affiliated with the author(s). The author may or may not have a position in any company or advertiser referenced above. Any action that you take as a result of information, analysis, or advertisement on this site is ultimately your responsibility. Consult your investment adviser before making any investment decisions.

All data and information presented on this site (hereinafter the Information) is derived from sources that Clear on Money considers sufficiently reliable to justify inclusion; however we cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the Information. Clear on Money may periodically update the Information, but makes no commitment to do so. By using any data on this site you acknowledge and agree that your use of the Information is at your own risk and that none of the parties involved in creating, producing or delivering this site is liable for any loss, injury, claim, liability or damage of any kind resulting in any way from: (1) any errors in or omissions from the Information; (2) the unavailability or delay of the Information; (3) your use of the Information or any conclusions you draw from it, regardless of whether you received any assistance from Clear on Money or its employees with regard to the Information; (4) your use of any equipment in connection with the site or anything obtained from the site; or (5) the content of the site, including anything caused by any viruses, bugs or malfunctions.

ALL INFORMATION, DATA AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS”, “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. Clear on Money EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXPRESS AND IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, QUALITY AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. NEITHER Clear on Money NOR ANY EMPLOYEE OR AFFILIATE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION, OR ATTORNEYS' FEES) IN ANY WAY DUE TO, RESULTING FROM OR ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE INFORMATION, DATA OR MATERIALS AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, AND REGARDLESS OF THE NEGLIGENCE OF Clear on Money OR ANY EMPLOYEE OR AFFILIATE, EVEN IF Clear on Money HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Many people have given helpful advice and encouragement. I would particularly like to thank (in alphabetical order), Susan Apodaca; Michael Cinkosky; Dan and Lanny Danenberg; John, Mark, and Matthew Fickett; William Hayes; Nevena Mollova; and Otto Ritter.

I would like to thank Andreas Gohr (and many others) for developing Dokuwiki, a well-thought-out and reliable piece of software that forms the main infrastructure for this site; W3C and W3schools for excellent documentation of CSS; and javascript-array.com for a clean and simple implementation of drop-down menus.